This review isn't very well written, for starters. Too repetitive, too banal. Full of purple prose. And the occasional mistake, as people have pointed out.

However, the reviewer does have a point to a certain degree, particularly regarding Cotopaxi. But it still falls into the same 'let's be so indie we give people who like genuine indie music a bad name' category that all Pitchfork reviews fall into.

Still, Pitchfork love Mastodon, so I guess all is not lost.

I think it's time we stopped paying attention to mainstream review sites and instead focused on well written articles by well informed fans. I think they would give us more insight into how TMV are regarded by the people that matter.

This is actually the best review for the album i have read so far, and god knows ive read almost every one as the people in here have found every single one of them on the internet (rightfully so, as this is the comatorium). i dont know what you are talking about pac-man. this is good writing. almost every other review has just been thrown together in 125 words or less, as if it were just something they had to get out of their way. yes, she did commit the ol' switcheroo mistake with the names, but what she is saying is dead on. anyways, good review, its just unfortunate that she has a negative conception of the mars volta, otherwise it could have easily been an 8.

This is actually the best review for the album i have read so far, and god knows ive read almost every one as the people in here have found every single one of them on the internet (rightfully so, as this is the comatorium). i dont know what you are talking about pac-man. this is good writing. almost every other review has just been thrown together in 125 words or less, as if it were just something they had to get out of their way. yes, she did commit the ol' switcheroo mistake with the names, but what she is saying is dead on. anyways, good review, its just unfortunate that she has a negative conception of the mars volta, otherwise it could have easily been an 8.

The reason most reviews are under 125 words is because that's the space the publishers give them. It has nothing to do with getting anything out of the way.

I didn't think it was particularly well-written compared to what a music review should be, but then I'm used to the British school of music journalism, it takes a while to get used to the American equivalent, I guess.

Although having said that, on second reading it does lose a bit of the annoying quality that seemed to hang around it at first.

Not saying I could write a better review, but most reviewers can't play instruments to any proficient standard, yet they are still qualified to pass judgment over music.